Low Heath

Resisting Change

"Hey boss, the infected are back." The drained, grumpy voice of a shadow flower echoed in the halls of the bunker, earning a sigh from the grizzled general. She sighed, taking another sip from her mug and rubbing her petals. It was of no surprise, but she thought that she would have a bit more time. She takes one last look at the MIA list, before marching over to the camera room, her fellow flower standing to salute her. "At ease.... What did you find, Shade?" The Shadow Flower gestured to one of the glaring screens, a bored look on her face. It was just as the General had feared; large infected horde, mostly comprised of other sunflowers and roses. Some, to General Bloom's horror, were former members of her squad, sent out to find help and gather supplies, only to be cornered and infected, reduced to salivating infected. She turned off the monitor, a shaky sigh escaping her lips,  turning away from her underling as a grim scowl formed on her face. "They were good soldiers..." Shade shrugged, looking off into the other screens. The Shadow Flower searched every monitor, realizing that the entire compound was surrounded. She shrugged again , not really caring anymore. "Boss, I don't think we're making it out of this one.." She got up, stretching. General Bloom was silent, contemplating something. Her face, obscured by the dim lighting in the bunker, was twisted into a look of confusion and stress. She finally sat up straight, still refusing to look her last girl in the eye. "A-Are any of the exits not compromised?" Shade shook her head, beginning to walk out of the room. "Wait." She stopped, the General finally turning around to face the dark flower. "I...I think we should join our comrades."

Elsewhere nearby..

A infected Electric Slide slammed against a wall, coughing up broken vines and a mixture of sap and blood. She felt her chest, realizing that she had two broken ribs. Fighting through the pain, the infected weakly stood, watching her new sisters struggle to restrain the Electro Brainz they recently found. "Baby, please~! Once you embrace our side, you'll love it~!" She coughed out, trying to pacify her undead brethren. The other zombie was currently trying to get a Nightcap off of his back, the tricky mushroom avoiding his large hands gracefully as her sisters tried to bind his arms with thick vines. She crawled up his broad shoulders, giggling and releasing calming spores. "Just relax and breathe it in, cutie~!" As she did, the superhero finally managed to get his hands on her, grabbing her by the head and slamming her into the concrete pavement, crushing her entire body with ease. The other infected around him hiss, inching closer to finish the job. "Damn pests, how many more of you guys are there?!" The large zombie growled, trying to wave away the spores. Clearing the air, he turned to face the small mob, his fists clenching and crackling with electric power. He's been fighting for a few hours now, and ever since his partner was infected, he's been overwhelmed. He can't keep this up for long, and judging by the twisted smiles and crazed giggles of the infected, he can tell that they know it too. Striking another flower down, he backs up a bit, before turning tail and sprinting away, the infected eagerly chasing him like wild dogs. Sprinting around a corner and jumping a few fences, he leaped up to a building, hovering slightly above the roof and catching his breath. "Shit.... Outta breath...." He looks up, a pair of repurposed rave lights catching his eye. They were two beacons of light in the purple-crimson night sky, a call for help.

Flying over as fast as he could, he landed on what looked to be a makeshift bunker, surrounded by the largest horde he'd seen yet. As he watched the large group claw at the main door, he noticed a small, rusty trap door next to him, bolted shut. Putting his ear to the door, the zombie heard loud arguing. He shrugged, leaning down and knocking three times. The commotion within stopping abruptly, and he could hear what sounded like leaves rustling. "W-Who's there? I-Identify yourself!" A small, almost quiet sounding voice squeaked from within. "Uhh... not an infected. Can I get in?" He responded, hearing a huff in response. "I don't know.... How do I know that?" The hero sighed, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Because I wouldn't be talking to you right now if I was." The voice stopped, then picked up again, quieter this time as if they were talking to someone else. "They could be lying... we shouldn't trust them.." Patience thinning, the zombie simply gripped the edges of the door, his toned muscles bulging as he effortlessly tore the door off its hinges, revealing a sunflower with multiple medals and a military-ish hat. "What the-?!" She gasped, her mouth quickly becoming covered by the Electro Brainz's large hand. "Shh! If they hear us up here we're goners." He angrily whispered, his glowing blue eyes narrowing. Pushing the two of them into the bunker, he placed the door back, welding it in place with his electric beam. "Now, we're safe." He turned to look at the plant, only to see her scuttle away. Sighing, he followed her, cornering her in a room filled with screens. She hissed, pulling out a jagged piece of metal and pointing it at him. "Whoa, calm down, I'm not here to hurt you.." the zombie backed up and held up his hands, trying to appear non threatening. The flower's deep, brown eyes scanned him all over, her expression softening but still remaining cautious. Suddenly, another flower dropped from a shelve above the two, landing on his shoulders. Reflexively, the hero reached back and grabbed the plant, holding the shadow flower in front of him. "Sup." The dark flower chirped lazily, a small, mischievous smile on her face. The zombie dropped her gently, sighing. "Is there anyone else I should know about?" The General looked down, ashamed. "We're all that's left." The hero leaned back, crossing his muscular arms. "Sorry to hear that... I'm Marco, by the way." The sunflower looked up, her eyes softening and a tired smile spreading on her face. "General Bloom. This here is Shade, the last of my plants." Shade jokingly threw an empty can at Marco, it bouncing off harmlessly and the zombie rolling his eyes. "Cool. Now that we're introduced to each other, does anyone have a plan to leave this place? If you haven't already noticed, we're kinda surrounded." General Bloom shook her head, grumbling softly. "Unfortunately, no. Those bastards outside tore down our comms, and infected anyone we sent out for help. We could, well..." Shade glared at her causing her to shut her trap. The shadow flower slinked up, lounging on one of the tables nearby. "There is an old jeep in the back garage, but the engine is busted, we'd need a lot of power to kickstart it . We probably can't, doesn't matter to me. I could care less." Shade chimed in, rolling over and stretching on the table, before hopping off and staring at Marco, causing General Bloom to sigh in exasperation. The hero pointed to his hand, enveloped in lightning. "I may be able to help with that."